Born and raised in Minneapolis, Prince signed a record deal with Warner Bros. Records at the age of 19, soon releasing the albums For You (1978) and Prince (1979). He went on to achieve critical success with the influential albums Dirty Mind (1980), Controversy (1981), and 1999 (1982). His sixth album, Purple Rain (1984), was recorded with his new backing band the Revolution, and was also the soundtrack to the film of the same name in which he starred. Purple Rain garnered continued success for Prince and was a major commercial achievement, spending six consecutive months atop the Billboard 200 chart. The soundtrack also won Prince the Academy Award for Best Original Song Score. After disbanding the Revolution, Prince released the album Sign o' the Times (1987), widely hailed by critics as the greatest work of his career. In the midst of a contractual dispute with Warner Bros. in 1993, he changed his stage name to the unpronounceable symbol logo. Hollow circle above downward arrow crossed with a curlicued horn-shaped symbol and then a short bar (known to fans as the "Love Symbol") and was often referred to as The Artist Formerly Known as Prince (or TAFKAP) or simply The Artist.
After signing with Arista Records in 1998, Prince reverted to his original name in 2000. Over the next decade, six of his albums entered the U.S. top 10 charts. In April 2016, at the age of 57, Prince died after accidentally overdosing on fentanyl at his Paisley Park home and recording studio in Chanhassen, Minnesota. He was a prolific musician who released 39 albums during his life, with a vast array of unreleased material left in a custom-built bank vault underneath his home after his death, including fully completed albums and over 50 finished music videos. He also released songs under multiple pseudonyms during his life, as well as writing songs that were made popular after being covered by other musicians, most notably "Nothing Compares 2 U" by Sinéad O'Connor and "Manic Monday" by the Bangles. Estimates of the complete number of songs written by Prince range anywhere from 500 to well over 1,000. Released posthumously, his demo albums Piano and a Microphone 1983 (2018) and Originals (2019) both received critical acclaim.
Prince sold over 100 million records worldwide, ranking him among the best-selling music artists of all time. His awards included the Grammy President's Merit Award, the American Music Awards for Achievement and of Merit, the Billboard Icon Award, an Academy Award, and a Golden Globe Award. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2004, the UK Music Hall of Fame in 2006, and the Rhythm and Blues Music Hall of Fame in 2016, and was inducted twice into the Black Music & Entertainment Walk of Fame in 2022.
Full Wikipedia article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prince_(musician)
Studio albums
For You (1978)
Prince (1979)
Dirty Mind (1980)
Controversy (1981)
1999 (1982)
Purple Rain (1984)
Around the World in a Day (1985)
Parade (1986)
Sign o' the Times (1987)
Lovesexy (1988)
Batman (1989)
Graffiti Bridge (1990)
Diamonds and Pearls (1991)
Love Symbol (1992)
Come (1994)
The Black Album (1994)
The Gold Experience (1995)
Chaos and Disorder (1996)
Emancipation (1996)
Crystal Ball (1998)
The Truth (1998)
The Vault: Old Friends 4 Sale (1999)
Rave Un2 the Joy Fantastic (1999)
The Rainbow Children (2001)
One Nite Alone... (2002)
Xpectation (2003)
N·E·W·S (2003)
The Chocolate Invasion (2004)
The Slaughterhouse (2004)
Musicology (2004)
3121 (2006)
Planet Earth (2007)
Lotusflow3r (2009)
MPLSound (2009)
20Ten (2010)
Plectrumelectrum (2014)
Art Official Age (2014)
HITnRUN Phase One (2015)
HITnRUN Phase Two (2015)
Posthumous releases:
Piano and a Microphone 1983 (2018)
Originals (2019)
Welcome 2 America (2021)
Prince also released two albums credited to Madhouse, three albums credited to the New Power Generation, and one credited to the N.P.G. Orchestra:
Madhouse:
8 (1987)
16 (1987)
The New Power Generation:
Goldnigga (1993)
Exodus (1995)
Newpower Soul (1998)
The N.P.G. Orchestra:
Kamasutra (1997)
For Serbian singer Princ, please use Princ.
Rainbow Children
Prince Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
They went about the work of building a new nation:
The Rainbow Children
Just like the sun, the Rainbow Children rise,
Flying upon the wings of the New Translation
See them fly, fly
Just like the sun, the Rainbow Children rise
Rainbow children, it's time to rise!
Rainbow children, it's time to rise!
As prophesied, the Wise One and his woman were tempted by the Resistor.
He, knowing full well the Wise One's love for God,
Assimilated the woman first and only.
Quite naturally, chaos ensued and she
And five others were banished from the rainbow.
Forever.
Just like the sun, the Rainbow Children rise
Flying upon the wings of the New Translation
See them fly, fly
The covenant will be kept this time
Just like the sun, the Rainbow Children rise
Just like the sun, the Rainbow Children rise
Flying upon the wings of the New Translation
See them fly, fly
The covenant will be kept this time
Just like the sun, the Rainbow Children rise
Who is you're real father?
The everlasting one
The one who came from nothing
And yet from this one, everything comes
The one who commands you're momma
With the simple phrase "I am"
And every time that she obeys
She gives birth to the Son of Man
Who is this?
Reproduction of the new breed leader
Stand up and organize!
Reproduction of the new breed leader
Stand up and organize!
The Agreement
With every birth, we keep it so
Never changing one piece of it
In fear of what would unfold
The scales would then become unbalanced
And thus would begin the fall
The sin of one would become
The sin of one and all
Rise, rise, rise.
Rise, Rainbow Children, rise
Rise, Rainbow Children, rise
The Wise One who understood the law that was handed down from God long ago,
Held fast in his belief that the Lord would bring him another one who loved him so.
In "The Rainbow Children," Prince uses religious allusions and allegories to explore themes of faith, obedience, and redemption. The lyrics speak of a group of people who have gained an "accurate understanding of God and His law" and are working to "build a new nation" based on these principles. These people are called the "Rainbow Children," and they are depicted as rising up like the sun, flying on the wings of a "new translation." The song suggests that these Rainbow Children have made a covenant, a solemn agreement, to stay faithful to their beliefs and to never allow their commitment to falter.
However, the song also recounts a temptation faced by a Wise One and his woman by a being called the Resistor. The woman succumbs to temptation and is cast out along with five others from the Rainbow. This episode suggests that the path of the righteous is not easy and that even in the face of temptation, one must remain steadfast. The song mentions the Son of Man, a figure mentioned in the Bible and believed by many to be a messianic figure who will one day return to earth. The song portrays the Son of Man as the product of a union between the Everlasting One and a woman who obeys His commands.
Overall, the song is a call to action for listeners to stand up, rise, and join the ranks of the Rainbow Children. It encourages its listeners to stay true to their beliefs, resist temptation, and work to build a better world based on the principles of God and His laws.
Line by Line Meaning
With the accurate understanding of God and His law They went about the work of building a new nation
The wise ones built a new nation with deep understanding of God's law.
Just like the sun, the Rainbow Children rise, Flying upon the wings of the New Translation See them fly, fly, The covenant will be kept this time Just like the sun, the Rainbow Children rise
Rainbow children, like the sun, rise with a new understanding of God's law and the covenant that will be kept.
Rainbow children, it's time to rise! Rainbow children, it's time to rise!
It's time for the Rainbow Children to rise as prophesied.
As prophesied, the Wise One and his woman were tempted by the Resistor. He, knowing full well the Wise One's love for God, Assimilated the woman first and only. Quite naturally, chaos ensued and she And five others were banished from the rainbow. Forever.
As prophesied, the Resistor tempted the Wise One and his woman, causing chaos and banishment of six individuals from the rainbow.
Who is you're real father? The everlasting one The one who came from nothing And yet from this one, everything comes
Our real father is the everlasting one who came from nothing and created everything.
The one who commands you're momma With the simple phrase "I am" And every time that she obeys She gives birth to the Son of Man Who is this?
Our mother gives birth to the Son of Man through the command of the one who says "I am". This refers to God.
Reproduction of the new breed leader Stand up and organize! Reproduction of the new breed leader Stand up and organize!
Organize and stand up to reproduce the new breed leader.
The Agreement With every birth, we keep it so Never changing one piece of it In fear of what would unfold The scales would then become unbalanced And thus would begin the fall The sin of one would become The sin of one and all
With every birth, the Agreement is kept without changing it. Any deviation would cause imbalance and sin.
The Wise One who understood the law that was handed down from God long ago, Held fast in his belief that the Lord would bring him another one who loved him so.
The Wise One believed in God and waited for another one to love him as prophesized.
Rise, rise, rise. Rise, Rainbow Children, rise Rise, Rainbow Children, rise
The Rainbow Children are called to rise and fulfill their destiny.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: PRINCE ROGERS NELSON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind